


Unrelated Drabbles & One-Shots

by extraordinary



Category: Free!
Genre: 30 Kisses Challenge, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-28
Updated: 2015-07-10
Packaged: 2018-04-06 16:50:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 5,555
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4229457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/extraordinary/pseuds/extraordinary
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Here you'll find a collection of unrelated drabbles & one-shots. The majority of which I created in honour of Hinalilly's 30 Kisses Challenge back in 2015.</p><p>While I never did get around to finishing the challenge, the first eight chapters <i>do</i> feature 100% completed/stand-alone works. The very last chapter is an author's note regarding my decision to abandon this collection. For now.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Hit & Run

Their first kiss is far from perfect.

For starters: Rin does _not_ meet Haruka halfway, the way he so often would in the  _—_ admittedly rather unlikely _—_ scenarios Haruka's incredibly vivid imagination began cooking up. Very enthusiastically so. In the wake of an irritatingly cowardly confession.

Over five months ago now. _  
_

No. Instead, Haruka is left balancing uncomfortably on the very edge of his kneecaps. In order for his pursed lips to successfully make contact with Rin's slack ones across the tabletop.

In the end, it's an undeniably instinctive thing _—_ although it's hardly an unplanned one, when it really comes down to it _—_ and it instantly makes Haruka feel a good deal more adventurous than he is used to feeling. But then again, Rin never fails to make him feel things he isn't used to feeling. Haruka should be more than used to it by now, if anything.

As expected, Rin's breath tastes strongly of the reheated curry he'd been enjoying. Right up until Haruka had impulsively interrupted him, mid-sentence, to press their mouths together in a sorry excuse for a kiss. The spoon Rin'd been waving around to underline key points in his spirited account of Nagisa's latest prank ends up landing next to his plate with a noisy _splat_ , then, and it takes all of Haruka's willpower to hold his ground when Rin practically flinches away from him as a result.

It's hardly his fault, though.

Rin's mouth just looks _so nice_.

Soft.

Warm.

And inviting.

Haruka's pretty certain he already wants to kiss it again.

Unfortunately, though, his tongue has very different plans tonight: "You taste like curry."

Rin blinks. Just once. Very slowly. And then a second and third time. Haruka's still frantically trying to come up with something _else_ to say  _—_ something that will chase away the tension steadily gathering in the pit of his stomach (and space between his shoulder blades) _—_ when the frozen expression on his face suddenly snaps back into life. Like a rubber band breaking under the strain of an invisible force.

The very same invisible force that had suddenly compelled Haruka to lean over and kiss him, no doubt.

"What did you expect _—_ "

"I don't care about _that_ ," Haruka tells him hurriedly, even though he's distantly aware of the fact that interrupting Rin again _—_ and so soon after his first offence, to boot  _—_ might not be a very good idea. At all. "I liked it," He insists, equal parts stubborn and earnest. "I want to do it again."

Haruka doesn't understand why Rin looks so shocked to hear that. But he decides, right there and then, that he'll do whatever it takes to prevent Rin from ever making _that_ expression again.

"Why _now_?" Rin starts hedgingly. He's blinking in rapid succession now. And it kind of feels like they're right back where it had all started: back inside Narita Airport's needlessly luxurious Terminal 1, where Rin had very quietly informed Haruka that he'd gone and accidentally fallen in love with a teammate _._ The very same teammate he'd crossed the Qantas departure gates with the last time they'd been at this particular airport _._ And then just as silently _left Haruka there_. Alone. Without even giving him any time to process what he'd just been told. "I thought you didn't — "

Undaunted, Haruka smoothly interrupts him a third time. He's had a lot of practice. By now. "Can I do it again?"

This time around, however, Rin _does_ meet him halfway.

And while it still isn't anywhere near perfect, Haruka's pretty sure they'll get it right soon enough. Together.


	2. Tiptoes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a silly little drabble I originally posted on my Tumblr. You can find it [here](http://matsuoka-lin.tumblr.com/post/126506302858/unfmatsuoka-whitechoko-tfw-youre-reading-a).

Haruka reluctantly allows gravity to pull the heels of his feet back down to the floor. Sighs. Forces his eyes open (although not without considerable effort). Then draws back. Just far enough to be able to admire his handiwork, though.

The corners of Rin's lips — satisfyingly flushed and swollen, as they are — instantly arrange themselves into that comfortingly familiar _‘I’m-this-close-to-tearing-up-over-here-so-don’t-you-dare-tease-me-about-it’_ smile of his. The button of his shirt collar has come undone. And his hair’s a little messier than before, too.

It looks nice.

Rin looks nice.

“So…?” Haruka asks. Feeling curious in spite of himself. “Was it everything you’d ever dreamed it would be, then?”

Rin snorts. His smile never waves. “I don't know," He says. After mulling it over for a while. "I think I’m kind of starting to get a crick in my neck, to be honest.”

“I liked it.”

“You liked it,” Rin echoes, rather unnecessarily, as he slowly tilts his head in order to level Haruka with an openly assessing — if slightly incredulous — gaze. “You’re not seriously going to suggest we keep this ridiculous thing out here in the kitchen from now on, are you...?”

“Makoto bought it for us,” Haruka protests.  On auto-pilot. Even though he’s actually not too fussed about it either way. “… And I didn’t say I liked it _better_.”

“For the bathroom!” Rin fires back. Without missing a beat. “He bought it so you’d be able to sit down on it in the shower. Because you’re practically some kind of half-fish hybrid, and we all know it’s the only fucking thing keeping you from trying to camp out in locker rooms at the pool instead.”

“You should’ve thought of that before you signed the lease on an apartment without a bathtub, Rin.”

“We’ve been through this a million times already, haven't we?” Rin mutters exasperatedly. “Showers are _the norm_ here in Australia, you idiot. Get used — ”

Haruka lifts himself back up on his tiptoes and easily cuts Rin off with another kiss.


	3. Welcome Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is loosely based on [sexuallyfrustatedshark's beautiful artwork](http://odjn.tumblr.com/post/98685347444/smoochies-for-the-bae-when-he-comes-home) (with her permission, of course)! :)

When Haru's startled face appears around the corner of the hallway, Rin's vision blurs and his throat tightens uncomfortably — and the words he'd meticulously rehearsed over the course of his long journey suddenly escape him in a near-incomprehensible rush.

"Don't freak out on me, all right? I shouldn't have lied about my flight, I _know_ that — but did you really think Makoto wouldn't tell me about the fucking exam you've got to take in the morning?! I couldn't let you waste three whole hours like that, Haru."

Once the words are out there, Rin feels unexpectedly drained and empty. All his body is capable of, now, is to support his weight while he stares helplessly at Haru's approaching form: wonderfully solid, tangible at last _,_ and within easy reach for the first time in what honestly feels like _forever._

The urge to slide down into a pathetic heap in the genkan, right in between the plastic umbrella stand and the neat row of modestly coloured sneakers, and spend at least an hour cataloguing all of the ways _this_ version of Haru looks different from the one he'd said goodbye to back in the summer is overwhelming. He wants Haru to reach out and touch him so badly that his fingertips are practically tingling with the need to start familiarising themselves with each of the little changes his eyes have already begun dutifully registering — especially the ones he hadn't been able to make out as well as he'd have liked to during their infrequent Skype sessions; starting with the way Haru's lean shoulders now fill out Rin's old hoodie just a touch more confidently, and the hint of a five o'clock shadow darkening the sharp outlines of his jaw.

But Haru's surprised expression has already melted into one that gives absolutely nothing away — just as he'd reluctantly expected, really — and Rin doesn't want to risk initiating any contact between them until he's certain Haru won't shove him right back out the door.

"I'd have studied on the train," Haru eventually says, in an infuriatingly neutral tone of voice, and comes to a halt at the very edge of the worn looking tatami mats that separate the tiny wooden island Rin is still awkwardly standing on from the rest of _home_. "Are those for me...?"

Rin — who is starting to feel increasingly wrong-footed, and terribly self-conscious to boot — hesitantly follows Haru's cool gaze down to the large bouquet of roses in his left hand.

He'd completely forgotten about those.

"Uh," He starts eloquently, clumsily holding the flowers up between their chests like a shield. "Yeah, they're for you."

Haru's stoic façade _finally_ cracks, then, and a soft smile curls the edges of his lips upwards. "Red roses...?" He points out rather unnecessarily; and even though he's clearly struggling not to raise an amused eyebrow at Rin's choice, well, the fondness in his eyes and voice is a near palpable thing. "I'm flattered."

Rin doesn't know what possesses him to say what he does next, but the words are out of his mouth before he can even _try_ to swallow them back down: "'It means _'I love you',_ " He tells Haru quietly, mouth dry and heart lodged somewhere halfway up his throat. He can barely hear himself over the ringing in his ears. "The flowers, mostly. But also... _y'know_ , uh, making my own way here because I didn't want to interrupt your studies. It's because I love you, OK?"

His hands are clammy. He's a little short of breath, his face is flushed and the skin around his eyes feels like it's positively _burning_ — but it's all worth it, because Haru is suddenly grabbing fistfuls of his scarf and pulling him further into the hallway for a kiss that sends them both tumbling to the floor.

Rin goes down with a _whump_ , right next to his luggage, and makes an embarrassingly high pitched noise as soon as Haru breaks away to breathe a mixture of Rin's name and a string of endearments into Rin's skin and hair. It sounds suspiciously like an unhinged chuckle, and Rin's probably going to feel rather embarrassed about that in a couple of minutes, but it morphs into a content sigh soon enough — and Haru doesn't seem to have noticed, anyway. He's cradling Rin's head with his large palms now, pressing their bodies closer and closer together, and steadily turning each of Rin's limbs into jelly with the increasingly heated words he's whispering into the skin of Rin's cheeks...

Rin's forehead...

Even Rin's chin.

And _finally:_ against Rin's parted lips.

Rin could easily lose himself in the feeling of Haru's warm mouth on his own. All it'd take is for him to drop the bouquet to the floor, give Haru's clothes a couple of insistent tugs, and forget about everything until they're both breathless and sated. It'd be so, so, _so_ easy — which is undoubtedly the reason he's equal parts grateful _and_ sorely disappointed when Haru suddenly pulls away to allow both of them to catch their breath.

"Let's get these flowers into a vase," Haru begins, apologetically nudging Rin's forehead with his own, and manages to make the words sound like something perfectly in between a statement and a question. "And then you should probably get some sleep while I finish my reading. We can always pick up where we left off later."

"That's probably a good idea," Rin agrees readily, giving Haru a parting peck on the cheek before easing them both off of the floor and into mirroring crouches — bony knees bumping into each other like a strange parody of an Eskimo kiss. "You'll wake me up before you head out, right? I can't believe I'm saying this, but I've actually really missed your cooking."

The naked, almost vulnerable, look of surprise Haru fails to immediately smooth out upon hearing Rin's grudging admission stays with him long after he's finished getting ready for bed. It even follows him all the way into his dreams, and keeps him warm until an exhausted Haru joins him under the covers — with a whispered _'Goodnight, Rin...'_ , a soft kiss to the back of his neck, and promise to wake him up for their first breakfast together in months.


	4. Early Morning

Rin reluctantly draws back to catch his breath. Haru lets him go with only the faintest of protests _—_ a husky _"...Rin?"_ , accompanied by a barely perceptible tug at the back of Rin's hair _—_ and appears content enough to occupy himself with dubiously eyeing the shiny string of saliva connecting his bottom lip to Rin's for now. It should probably be gross, but instead it's just another giant fucking turn-on.

The centre of Haru's bottom lip is _still_ slightly darker than the rest of his mouth, courtesy of a particularly enthusiastic nip from Rin’s teeth back when their early-morning-kisses had still been chaste and playful, although it's a little difficult to tell in the dim lighting underneath the cover of their thin summer sheets. Rin fondly nudges the spot with the side of his thumb, self-indulgently swiping up the excess saliva gathered there and easing it back into the open space between Haru's lips.

Haru obligingly opens his mouth just a touch wider for Rin, the impossibly soft tip of his tongue venturing out to greet Rin's touch without even a hint of self-consciousness or hesitation, and Rin's half-hard cock twitches in interest at the dizzying sight and sensation. Emboldened by Haru's unspoken encouragement, Rin sets about slowly sliding his thumb in and out of the wet heat of Haru's welcoming mouth.

"F-fuck," He begins eloquently, when the need to say something _—_ _anything!_ _—_ in order to give voice to all of the things he's currently experiencing overwhelms him. He's feeling significantly more out of breath now than he'd done when he had still been kissing Haru _—_ and the irony of that fact isn't entirely lost on him. "I'm not sure we've got time for this, Haru..."

Haru shoots Rin an unimpressed look, sucks Rin's thumb a little harder, and pointedly rocks his hips up against Rin's. "They're used to waiting for us by now," He mutters resolutely _—_ albeit little awkwardly __—__ around the slippery digit in his mouth. "C'mon, Rin."

 


	5. Thirteen Strokes (Or Three Little Words)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's also (very loosely) based on [**sexuallyfrustratedshark** 's gorgeous art](http://odjn.tumblr.com/post/72680267836/a-gift-for-guardianoftime-for-the-sharkbait-secret). Y'know, for a change.

The tips of Rin's ears, and a good part of his nose _,_ are already starting to redden under the onslaught of the frigid ocean breeze making its way deeper inland. His warm breath is fogging up the air around him and his tired, heavy lidded gaze is fixed upon an indistinct point somewhere in the distance _—_ the expression gradually making itself more and more at home on his face is unexpectedly contemplative for their current location, like his thoughts are even further away than the remote object bearing the weight of his apathetic scrutiny.

It almost looks a little melancholic in the dim, yellow-tinted glow of the street lights lining the mostly deserted bay.

That's probably why Haruka can't seem to stop himself from apprehensively shifting his weight from one foot to the other at the sight of it, quietly studying the set of Rin's shoulders out of the corner of his eye while Rin is too distracted to notice the extent of the attention being heaped upon him.

"Looks like it'll snow soon," Haruka suddenly blurts out _,_ in a spur-of-the-moment attempt to confirm his suspicion: that Rin's stiff, slightly hunched posture isn't simply being caused by the temperature. It also happens to have the additional benefit of breaking the increasingly oppressive silence between them, though. "We can always try again tomorrow."

Rin's eyes instantly widen at the sound of Haruka's voice _,_ but fail to swivel around to meet his concerned gaze the way Haruka had expected them to. "Are you serious, Haru?" He begins, clearly aiming for a teasing drawl _—_ although it comes out sounding painfully forced instead. "After all that trouble you gave me about wanting to come out here?"

Growing weary of tip-toeing around the issue, Haruka pointedly bumps his shoulder into Rin's. "I'm here, aren't I?" He retorts, reluctantly frowning down at the tips of his salt-stained shoes so he doesn't have to see Rin's pleased smirk any longer. "Your coach is probably going to kill us both when he finds out about this, though."

"If Makoto doesn't get there first," Rin agrees, with a half-hearted scoff, and grudgingly leans the majority of his weight against Haruka's side. "But, c'mon, trust me on this one _: it'll be more than worth it._ "

"Then why aren't you acting like it?" Haruka prods. The side of his arm, where it's pressed up against Rin's, is tingling pleasantly underneath the heavy layers of his coat and sweater. The easy contact between their bodies is comforting, and more than a little encouraging. He's never been very good at easing Rin into these kind of questions, after all.

Rin _does_ turn his head around to face Haruka, then. He swallows inaudibly once or twice, clearly mulling his words over very carefully, before eventually settling on: "It's stupid."

Startled, Haruka looks up from the delicate stitching around the edge of his gloves _—_ they were a needlessly luxurious Christmas gift from Matsuoka-san and Gou, velvety soft and water-proof to boot, and they match the slightly larger pair Rin is wearing perfectly. Rin hardly ever takes them off, these days. "Of course it is," He allows, but hurriedly softens the blow by covertly sneaking one of his hands into nearest pocket of Rin's coat. "That's never stopped you from telling me anyway, has it? Just _try_ not to cry this time, Rin."

It's _fine._

Really, it is.

This isn't Iwatobi, where practically everyone knows them these days, or an area of Tokyo where they might run into old university friends or various team mates — it's not even _Japan_. They're on a short break to visit Rin's home-stay family and friends, it's rapidly nearing dawn, and nobody who's brave or stupid enough to be out here in the middle of the night would even bother to spare them a second glance.

Rin scowls at him, as Haruka had secretly hoped he would, but he makes no move to pull away and recreate the earlier distance between them. "Shut up," He mutters, but there's very little heat behind his words _—_ and what there _is_ , is easily balanced out by the faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "I'll tell you as soon as we get what we came for."

Rin's promise, decidedly final and weighty despite the lightness of the individual words, sends a jolt of nervous energy racing up and down Haruka's spine.

 

* * *

 

The densely clouded sky is slowly shifting colours: dark hues steadily morphing into purples and reds, until even those gradually settle into a bright mixture of oranges and yellows just beginning to peak out over the top of the nearby buildings.

It's snowing, too.

Lightly, for now, although it looks like it'll start to pick up soon enough.

Brave little flecks of white flutter down on the breeze to land on the rough fabric of Rin's coat, his hair, and his impossibly long eyelashes. Haruka can't tear his eyes away from the mesmerising sight, even though he knows he should probably turn around and at least make a vague attempt to watch the sunrise with Rin instead _._

He'd rather watch Rin watch the sunrise, though.

 

* * *

 

Haruka's left hand is still stuffed deep into the warm refuge of Rin's right pocket when Rin finally turns towards him _—_ with such a determined look painted on his flushed face that Haruka finds himself taking a surprised step backwards in response. His gloved hand slips out of Rin's coat as a result; but before he can try and slide it back inside again, Rin is already purposefully crouching down on his haunches and motioning for Haruka to follow suit.

"What are you doing?" He asks, for lack of anything better to say, but obligingly mirrors Rin's movements.

Rin doesn't reply right away, resolutely keeping his eyes locked on the thin layer of snow on the ground in front of them, but when he finally decides to answer the question his words go a long way to settle Haruka's nerves: "Just humour me, OK? It's more romantic this way."

Both of Haruka's eyebrows raise at that, all of their own accord, and his mouth suddenly feels very dry. He stays quiet, though, and curiously watches on while Rin removes one of his gloves and begins writing a message in the snow.

When Rin is done, he gingerly wipes the tip of his index finger — which is sporting the same shade of red as his nose and ears now _—_ off on the bottom of his scarf. He's worrying his bottom lip between his teeth, and clearly struggling not to let his eyes travel anywhere near the vicinity of Haruka's face.

Haruka doesn't call him on it. He's too busy staring at the three little words written in clumsy cursive script in the snow:

 

**_I love you_ **

 

It's written in English; if Rin doesn't erase it soon, and Haruka certainly isn't likely to let him do so without complaint, anyone could walk by and read it.

At least until a fresh layer of snow covers it up again, that is.

"It would've been a bit tricky to write a character with thirteen strokes in this sludge, so I figured _—_ "

Rin's sentence trails off as soon as Haruka _—_ filled to the brim with his own brand of purpose and determination now _—_ wordlessly tears off one of his own gloves and starts drawing a short, horizontal little line in the unmarked patch of snow next to Rin's words. He quickly follows the impulsive movement up by creating three vertical smudges directly underneath the first marking with his thumb, then adds another a little further to the left, and finally draws a broader line underneath those with his index finger to neatly connect it all together.

Rin suddenly makes a choked, wet noise in the back of his throat, and for a moment Haruka's hand threatens to falter. The snow is bitingly cold on the bare skin of his hand, which had still been snug and warm in the confines of his glove only a moment ago, and tiny bits of girt and dirt are trying to make themselves at him underneath his fingernails; but he forces himself to keep going until he's added each of the seven remaining strokes that _—_ when added to the first six _—_ make up the character for _love_.

It comes out just as messy as Rin had probably predicted, and it'd undoubtedly look like chicken scratch or a random doodle to anyone passing by _—_ but Rin knows what it's supposed to say. Rin knows what it _means_ , and that's all that matters to Haruka right now.

"Like that, you mean?" Haruka teases softly, albeit in an embarrassingly croaky voice, while he painstakingly adds four more characters to his message. He's feeling terribly self-conscious about his actions now, like he's only just starting to realise how badly he'd gotten caught in the wake of Rin's impulsiveness and isn't entirely sure he managed to keep his head as dry as he'd like. His knees are beginning to complain under the combined strain of his weight and the long day he'd spent up and about on his feet, too.

 

**_ 愛している _ **

 

They've never exchanged these words with each other _—_ or anyone else, for that matter _—_ before. It feels a little strange to Haruka, just a touch too intimate and stiflingly traditional in a way that doesn't feel like it truly belongs to their generation; no matter how strong the feelings behind the gesture really are.

It suits Rin just fine, though.

Rin is always making grand gestures, after all. He's always sweeping Haruka up in the undertow of his exciting ideas and emotions, before promptly stepping on the breaks and urging Haruka to take the lead. It's equal parts frustrating and addictive; terrifying yet oddly liberating, and never fails to leave Haruka feeling breathless _—_ and grudgingly wanting _more._

"You're a show off," Rin tells him earnestly, eyes wide and very bright in the subdued glow of the distant sunrise. His twitching lips, and the barest hint of white teeth underneath, have never looked more inviting before. "I can't believe you just did that!"

Haruka simply shrugs. "You started it."

Rin makes a spluttering noise in protest, but Haruka's already tugging him back up before he can get another word in. To his surprise, Rin lets himself be manhandled without further complaint until they're standing toe-to-toe next to their cringe worthy messages in the snow _—_ but once he's got Rin where he wants him, he suddenly finds himself unsure of how to proceed.

Luckily Rin is there to pick up the slack for him, cautiously glancing around to make sure they're alone before drawing Haruka in for a surprisingly restrained one-armed hug. "I've been thinking about kissing you all night," He calmly tells Haruka, then, and the way he slowly enunciates each word _—_ like he's been rehearsing them in his head for just as long _—_ effortlessly keeps Haruka's feet glued to the slippery ground beneath him. Haruka couldn't move away, even if he'd wanted to __—__ and he really, really, _really_ doesn't want to. "It'd be so easy, y'know, and nobody'd even give a fuck around here. It's just that, if you let me do this once... I'd just end up wanting to do it _everywhere_."

The frustration in Rin's voice is a near-palpable thing, and Haruka hates how there's very little he can do or say to take it away. They've become so used to keeping their distance in public _—_ and to a certain extent, even their friends and immediate family _—_ over the years that even a simple and unembellished gesture like holding hands on holiday feels a little novel and unfamiliar now. There's flighty sponsors to consider, after all, and the support of their team and fans can't be taken for granted either. More and more people are starting to recognise them on the streets, too.

But none of them are _here_ , watching the sun steadily rise across the quaint little bay Rin had insisted on staking out today, and Haruka has never really cared about what they might think if they knew about his feelings for Rin in the first place. So he reaches out to cup the side of Rin's jaw with his gloved hand, lets his eyes fall shut when Rin merely continues to stare at him in shocked anticipation, and blindly presses their lips together in a chaste but heartfelt kiss.

"Was that a challenge, Rin?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> P.S. I suck at kanji. I also suck at describing things. ESPECIALLY KANJI. 
> 
> P.P.S. Apparently there's no snow in Sydney. Like. Ever. So, uh, let's just pretend they're travelling through other parts of Australia before meeting up with Russell and Lori.


	6. Early Riser(s)

The tip of Rin's nose is pressed snugly into the bend of Haruka's shoulder. His slow, slightly uneven exhales incessantly tickle Haruka's skin and leave patches of goosebumps in their wake wherever their attempt to find the path of least resistance takes them. It'd probably be a little uncomfortable if Haruka wasn't so used to it.

A quick glance at the battered-looking digital alarm clock on the night stand confirms Haruka's nagging inkling; it's only been a couple of hours since they settled down for bed — and even though they're both known for being early risers, it's still far too early for either of them to be awake right now.

Tomorrow — technically: _today_ — is a big day.

Despite the array of medals and titles underneath their collective belts, Haruka always has trouble sleeping the night before important time trials or qualifying events take place. If he thought he could get away with quietly sneaking out, he'd probably be getting up for a short run around the hotel grounds right about now.

But Rin's an inconveniently light sleeper — and he'd only end up worrying needlessly if he woke up to find Haruka missing from their connected suites — so instead of carefully slipping out of his loose embrace and literally making a run for it like Haruka'd really _like_ to at the moment, he merely shifts deeper into Rin's one-armed hold with a weary sigh.

The comforting heat of Rin's pliant body, and the sound of his steady breathing, goes a long way to soothe the worst of Haruka's frayed nerves. Eventually his eyelids become too heavy to keep them open any longer; so he softly presses a grateful kiss down into the mess of Rin's hair and grudgingly resigns himself to spending the rest of the early morning listening to his bedmate's faint snores and the occasional, mumbled sleep-talk.

There are worse things to endure, after all, Haruka decides to himself. If he focuses _just so,_ he can even make out the rhythmic dance of Rin's heartbeat — right where Rin's pale neck rests on the swell of his biceps.

It's calm.

Stable.

Safe, and unwavering — and for a moment the mere sensation of it fluttering against the skin of his upper arm sends Haruka's own precariously thundering rhythm positively _racing;_ but it isn't long until he can no longer tell the difference between their respective heart rates at all.

Rin's warm presence soon begins to lull Haruka into a light doze, and — much to Haruka's sleepy surprise — he quickly finds that the lingering nervous tension in his body is utterly unable to fight off the persistent tendrils of sleep creeping up on it. Exhaling drowsily into the ticklish maze of Rin's soft hair with an audible _woosh_ of air, Haruka wills himself to relax and let the feeling of their matching heartbeats pull him under completely.

Just before he drifts off, when is mind is still stuck in that eerily quiet place it always seems to venture to _right_ before properly shutting down, he half-heartedly tries to imagine a place he'd rather be — and finds he can no longer come up with a single alternative. 


	7. Graduation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one sadly doesn't have any kisses. But, it _does_ come with a couple of images! You can find them [here](http://matsuoka-lin.tumblr.com/post/125919544558/rin-haruka-starts-slowly-blinking-down-at-the).

“Rin…” Haruka starts, slowly blinking down at the unexpected gift he’d found in his locker. The tag’s got _his_ name on it: **_’for: Nanase Haruka’_** it boldly proclaims in neat lettering, but mentions no information about the mysterious donor whatsoever. That hardly matters when there’s only one person it could’ve possibly been, however. “Did you — ?”

The half-guarded, half-amused expression on Rin’s face instantly gives the whole game away, of course. Haruka watches him wordlessly push himself off of the wall he’d been leaning on from the corner of his eye, then lets the breath he hadn’t realised he’d been holding escape through the minute gap between his teeth.

Rin hesitantly approaches the lockers, a painfully forced-looking smile tugging the corner of his lips upwards in something far more akin to a grimace. “Is that weird?” He asks Haruka quietly, then. “For fuck’s sake, Haru. _Say something_.”

“It’s not weird. I like it,” Haruka hurriedly offers. And fervently hopes it isn’t the wrong thing for him to say. “Thank you, Rin.”

As soon as the words are out there, though, Rin’s eyes widen almost comically (and his cheeks flush with colour). It’s not a bad look on him at all, Haruka decides.

“You like it?”

“I like it,” Haruka repeats, as emphatically as he can manage in the face of his own embarrassment. Why is _he_ the one who’s blushing all of a sudden…? “You can’t have it back.”

Rin smiles a _real_ smile, then. “Good,” He eventually agrees, after a long (and slightly awkward) pause. “There’s something else I have to tell you, in that case. Walk with me?”

Feeling inexplicably nervous, Haruka gives a cautious nod and follows a frustratingly enigmatic Rin to the exit. “Where are we going…?”

“D’you really have to ask, you idiot?” Rin replies. Wounding a lot calmer than he had before, much to Haruka’s grudging relief. “There’s a whole row of cherry blossom trees right outside! If I’m going to be doing this at all, you bet I’m doing it _the proper way_.”

 _‘Doing what?’_ Haruka wants to ask, even though he’s fairly sure he already knows the answer. Instead, he says: “You’re still such a romantic, Rin.”


	8. Horoscope

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is another import from my Tumblr. You can find the original post [here](http://matsuoka-lin.tumblr.com/post/125625808338/okay-so-this-is-completely-random-but-theres).

 

A notification pops up on Rin's phone. It’s a text from Nagisa, with a link to the above little horoscope blurb. At first Rin isn't very impressed, but as he reads on of his eyebrows twitches and rises up, up, _up_ … until it’s completely hidden by his fringe. And by the time he's finished reading the whole thing, there’s a decidedly playful little smirk on his face.

“Yo, Haru. Check this out.”

He saunters over to the bed (where Haru’d been working on a bunch of doodles or other), and promptly makes himself comfortable on Haru’s lap. Although he _is_ careful not to crease any of the pages of Haru’s notebook. 

Haru makes a faint noise of protest, but he doesn’t make any _actual_ effort to try and remove Rin from his lap — so Rin takes that as encouragement, and tentatively rocks his hips into Haru’s. “This horoscope Nagisa sent me sounds absolutely fucking lewd, don’t you think? Where does that little brat keep finding these things?!”

 

> **The trick is finding the sweet spot between cooperation and self-reliance. Collaborating is a positive experience if you don’t lose your unique voice in the process.**

 

As expected, Haru simply rolls his eyes. “I think it’s telling you to ride me, Rin. I’ll collaborate by getting our pants off.”


	9. AUTHOR'S NOTE

As you can probably tell by now, I've run out of the necessary time and energy for me to continue this challenge. Please accept my sincerest apologies.

To try and make it up to everyone, though, I will make the following promise: if the project Kyoto Animation announces in March turns out to feature Haruka and Rin as the core axis of a new instalment, I _will_ come back and finish this. As a count-down to _Free! Future Days_.

So do your worst, Kyoto Animation!

_COME AT ME BRO._


End file.
